Sonar X1 LE vs X1 Studio

Sonar X1 LE vs X1 Studio

I have Sonar X1 LE and Guitar Tracks Pro 4, that I just got installed. I am using a MIDI keyboard and recording electric guitar audio. I am not that thrilled with the interface of either, but there are features in X1 Studio that I may want, not at any cost, but for a few tools, it might be worth the money.

My question is; if I learn the X1 interface from LE, will this translate easily if I do get X1 Studio? It it worth spending time and money on training products for Sonar that will apply to both?

As kc2ine noted, the X1 interface is the same, regardless of the version, so learning your way around X1LE won't be wasted time. Considering you are working with your MIDI keyboard, there is something to be gained by going with any of the X1 non-LE versions. You get soft synths. TTS1 is a decent, basic GM2 synth, which is nice to have around. More synths equals more possibilities. Here is a comparison chart of X1 Producer, studio, and Essentials:http://www.cakewalk.com/products/SONAR/SONAR%20X1-Comp-Chart.pdf

Consider your needs. For myself, X1 Essentials was a good fit, especially with my current hardware setup(XP, 32 bit system). YMMV. One very big thing to consider is that X1 is still evolving. Updates will apply to X1 P/S/E, but not, apparently, to LE. This has been documented elsewhere, but I am open to correction. Here are the X1LE specs that I can find:http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONARLE/feature.aspx/About-SONAR-LE

It would be fairly easy to max this out, even with a fairly modest project, so even X1 E would be an improvement. If you haven't already done so, a decent interface/ sound card is a must, especially if you will be recording with your MIDI keyboard realtime. hth.